Survival in the wilderness
by Debutante
Summary: As a new NEWTS course, seventh years now have to go on a survival course in the Scottish wilderness. Will they survive the week without killing each other? And, even more importantly, will Malfoy ever learn how to pitch a tent? HrD R & R
1. Genuine Harry Potter splinters

Gryffindor notice board:

REMAINS OF A FIREBOLT, RIDDEN BY THE FAMOUS HARRY POTTER! SPLINTERS, £5 A PIECE

_Please ignore that notice; I have not smashed up my broom, if you have bought any pieces of wood off somebody please tell a teacher immediately because you have been scammed. Harry Potter._

**Chess Club**

Looking for new members who love a game of wizarding chess. Competing in inter-house matches is not compulsory! Please contact Ron Weasley for further details.

**Attention all seventh years! There is to be a meeting held in the great hall at 6:30 PM today, and everybody has to be there – it's crucial to your NEWTS grades!**

**Head Girl, Hermione Granger**

There, I thought to myself, that should get everybody's attention. No, I didn't pin up the one about Harry's broom (that's had a few raised eyebrows, I can tell you!). Mine's the one about the meeting. Yes, I am Hermione Granger, Head Girl of Hogwarts. I just love to hear my name paired up with Head Girl. Gives me such a feeling of achievement.

Sorry. Letting myself drift off a bit there. Well, that notice was just the start of my problems. No, cut that, Monday was just the start of my problems. Professor McGonagall had held back myself and Neville Longbottom (Head Boy, a surprising choice but certainly a good one as it had given him a massive confidence boost).

"Try your best to round up all the seventh years. There is something of an extremely important nature that we have to tell you all."

And that was that. Neville and I had as much clue as the next person about what the meeting was about, but nobody seemed to believe that.

"Oh go on, Mione, please tell us! Are we in trouble?" Parvati said, tugging on my arm.

"Have they had to cancel NEWTS? Oh Merlin I hope so!" Squealed Lavender, tugging on my other arm.

"Look, I don't know better than the rest of you what this is about! So just stop bugging me, alright?"

Didn't work though. They didn't shut up until the clock had ticked round to 6:30 and we were making our way to the hall.

Everyone, I noted, was very quiet. I think they were all waiting with bated breath to see what would be said to us.

Nobody could have foreseen what was about to happen, though…

"Students! If I could have your attention, please!" Professor McGonagall rapped her wand on the wood three times. The chatter died down and everyone turned to face the head table, with expectant faces. Alright, so I admit I was one of them as well. It was hard NOT to be curious.

"Well, no doubt you are all wondering what this meeting has been called for, so we won't keep you in suspense any longer." Professor Dumbledore nodded and she sat back down again.

"Well, seventh year, you have quite a treat in store!" Dumbledore's face was merry – in fact, if it were anyone but him, you might say he looked quite tipsy. "The ministry has been working on an all new section to your NEWTS" There were a lot of groans at this "but I think you may enjoy it. Tomorrow morning until this time next week, we are going to be on a survival course!"

A shocked tremor ran through the hall and everyone began whispering. Survival Course? What was he on about?

"For seven days we are going to hike through the Scottish wilderness, pitching camp and eating out in the open. Your challenge is to try and make the situation as easy as possible by using your knowledge of magic. You may have noticed that recently in your classes there have been a lot of wilderness based topics" When he mentioned it, I did in fact realise that we had had a lot of spell work based on nature "and that was all in preparation of this. It shall be graded like any other exam, but in this case it will be team work. We are going to split you into groups of four – one person from each house."

Everyone was staring in horror at him now. No friendly and familiar faces? Worse still, someone from each house? That meant that we'd all have to go with a Slytherin!

"The names are on that board over there" a board magically appeared near the door "and if you could all please file in an orderly fashion-"

Dumbledore was too late though. Already a mad dash had been made to see who would be paired up with who.

"Oh my god! I have to share a tent with GOYLE!" That was Mandy Brocklehurst screeching her head off.

"ARGGHHHH! PANSY PARKINSON? THIS IS BLOODY STUPID!" That was Ron. I felt really sorry for him until I managed to get a glance at the board myself.

Hermione Granger

Anthony Goldstein

Hannah Abbott

Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy! **Draco Malfoy**? DRACO FRIGGIN MALFOY?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPNED TO ME?

"Well, well, well," I heard a slimy drawl from behind me. "Together at last, eh Granger? Just you and me. I've been biding my time all these years, ever since you had the impudence to actually _touch _me with your filthy little hands-"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, ferret-face," I snapped "but there are two other people we'll be with. You come within a metre radius of me and I'll hex you into oblivion."

He scowled and looked more pale and pointy than ever.

"You think you're so smart, don't you? Well, you just wait and see. You may have the brains, Granger, but I've got the contacts and the power."

"Is this supposed to be scaring me?" I retorted back "Better practise your insults, Dracula, because I'm not even quaking in my Clarks shoes."

I turned on my heel and stormed off, but inwardly I was cursing. Why oh why did I have to be stuck with him? For a whole week? In the middle of nowhere?

Crap.


	2. Share a broom?

Thanks for the reviews you lot they made my day, I've tried to make this chapter longer and I think it is, marginally: ) and to Ariana, do I sound very American? Because I am actually British, lol.

Harry Potter et al belong to Mrs Rowling, and My Family belongs to er… the BBC.

When I got back to my dorm, Parvati and Lavender were already in there furiously packing.

"Why are you doing that now?" I asked them.

"Because we have to be in the hall by 7 tomorrow morning and it'll take me ages to pack all my make-up!" Parvati hissed. Looking at her was rather funny actually. Her arms were moving so fast they were just blurs at her side.

"Yeah, god Hermione, don't tell me you're gonna get up at about 6 or something, just to pack?" Lavender said. She was now pulling drawers out of her wardrobe and everything was tipping onto the floor.

"Stop! Look at the mess you're making! We don't want to leave the room in a tip!" I shouted, grabbing handfuls of Lavender's clothes off the carpet and shoving them back on her bed.

"Oh puh-lease Hermione, the houselves can clean up! It's their job, isn't it?"

Not a very wise thing for her to say.

"You do realise they don't get paid! No holidays, no pension, no sick days! I can't believe that in a modern society we still have slave labour! It's an outrage! If a few more people would join S.P.E.W-"

"Just shut up and pack!" Parvati said, picking a sock off the floor and shoving it in my mouth.

The next morning at 7 found everyone stood in the great hall, bleary eyed and tired. All over the floor were sleeping bags and rolled up tents. I saw Harry and Ron slumped on the ground looking depressed, so I walked over to them.

"You don't look very happy," I commented.

"No, I suppose we don't," Harry replied, his eyes still half closed.

"Yeah, after all, the people we're with over the next few days-," Ron said, then cut off "but I suppose you don't want to hear about that."

I sat down on the floor next to them and sighed.

"Go on, tell me. If you don't get the moan out of your system now, then no doubt you'll do something really weird like start writing a diary and putting all your feelings in that."

Ron looked extremely relieved that he could lament his problems to me.

"Pansy bloody Parkinson. Can you believe it? That stupid, simpering, sadistic-"

"Hey," I interrupted, slightly annoyed "long descriptive words, preferably alliteration, are my thing."

"He's a bit out of it, Mione. We stayed up until about 4 last night – well, I should say morning – reading up on protective shields. From curses," Harry added, seeing my confused face.

"Yeah, it'd be just like a Slytherin to perform some horrible spell on us while we're sleeping," Ron said.

I smiled a bit and shook my head.

"Ronald Weasley, you can hardly believe that Pansy Parkinson is capable of remembering complex spell work for anything other than straightening her hair?"

He brightened up a bit at this remark.

"Yeah, that's true. But not for Harry. He's stuck with Blaise Zabini and that guy's not exactly thick."

"I'm sure Harry can hold his own, can't you Harry? Harry!" I said, shoving him hard in the side.

He blinked rapidly and mumbled "What? Oh yeah, er, hold my own. Sure can do," Then closed his eyes again.

Sighing, I stood up and walked over to Hannah and Anthony, who were both clutching their rucksacks and looking around fearfully.

"You-you haven't seen Malfoy, have you?" Hannah stammered.

"Hannah," hissed Anthony, "we've been over this. I think we should call him Draco, or, if he doesn't like that, Mr Malfoy. We don't want to disrespect him, do we?"

I almost burst out laughing at this, but prevented it by snorting through my nose. Hannah and Anthony both turned to look at me and their faces changed from bemused to horrified. I wasn't that ugly, was I?

"Honestly, Granger. Haven't you evolved from your piggish ancestors yet?"

Oh. That's what they were staring at.

"Honestly, Malfoy. Didn't your parents realise that cross breeding with ferrets is not the way to create a child?" I said in a sickly sweet voice, grinning at him.

Ha. Take that, pale face.

His eyes narrowed at me and he muttered "Just you wait mudblood. When we're alone at night in the wilderness, no ones going to here your screams."

"Didn't realise you were planning on having sex with her, Malfoy."

I spun round to see Ron, glaring down at him. I flashed him a smile and put my arm around his waist, which seemed to make Ron blush and Malfoy smirk.

"Oh yes, Ron, because we all know I'm so good that girls scream out for more from me. Whereas you – well, even your own penis cowers when you put your hand near it."

Disgusting! Could Malfoy have said anything more crude and vulgar?

I repeated this to him and his eyes flashed. Well, made a change from the boring grey they usually are.

"Don't worry, Granger, I've got a lot more from where that came from," he - well, I suppose there's no other word to describe it apart from - purred. Doesn't seem right, Malfoy and purr in the same sentence, does it?

Luckily, before either me or Ron could reply, Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Well, students, the time has come at last. In your groups of four you shall all proceed to the portkey at the front of the hall, where upon it shall place you at different points on your trail. Once you have reappeared at the other end, all the maps etc. shall show you where to go. Group A, if you could approach the head table."

And so, slowly, one by one, people started vanishing. Our group was called out, the four of us lugged our luggage (A.N hee, lugged our luggage) over to the table and taking a deep breath, we put our hand on the golden tent (Dumbledore has some wacky ideas).

There was that sickening moment when your stomach feels like it's been wrenched up out of your throat and your brain has slid down through your nostrils and then it passed.

With a slight thud, the four of us fell onto damp soft earth that was covered in a bed of pine needles.

"Oh crap, my robes!" Yelled Malfoy, leaping up and brushing himself off.

I rolled my eyes. WHAT a prima donna.

"Right," I said, taking charge, seen as no one else seemed capable to "where are the maps?"

"They're here Hermione," Hannah called picking up large bundles of parchment off a flat rock. She passed them over to me and I examined them for a few seconds.

"Right, from what I can see here, we'll travel about fifteen miles on foot today and make camp at about" I checked my watch "five this evening. We don't want to over exhaust ourselves."

"Er, I was looking up spells last night," Anthony stuttered. Jesus, he couldn't still be terrified of ferret boy, could he? "And there's this one where we can transfigure stuff to fly that will be able to carry our body weight. All we need to do is to find some big branches-"

"Merlin," Malfoy cut in "have none of you got brains? I took the liberty last night to break into the sports cupboard and transfigure some brooms into rocks." He reached into his pocket and took out four round, smooth pebbles and tossed one to each of us.

"You can't do that, Malfoy! It's breaking and entering! You could be stripped of you prefects badge!" I protested.

"Well, I'm not going to be, because no one is going to grass, are they?" He snarled, giving us all the evil eye. Hannah and Anthony cowered a bit, but I just look at him in disbelief.

"Well, anyway, even if it wasn't against the rules, we can't do it. Because-" I blushed slightly "BecauseImnotverygoodatridingabroom."

"What was that, Granger?" Malfoy said with a large smirk plastered on his face. He knew bloody well what I'd just said.

"Because I'm rubbish at flying, okay?" I yelled.

As you can tell, I don't really like admitting that I'm bad at stuff.

"Hey, that's no problem, Hermione. You can just ride on Mr Malfoy's broom," Anthony said brightly.

"God, Goldstein, and I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be SMART. There is no way I'm sitting on the same thing as mudblood over here."

"I'm afraid you've not got much choice," Hannah said "unless we fly really slowly so Hermione can walk beside us and that's defeating the object."

"I see no problem at leaving scrub brush behind," He said.

"Well I do," I said frostily "And you'd better just shut up and put up, Malfoy, because I'll have to share a broom with you."

"Why not share with the girl? Or birdbrain?"

"Because they're not as good at flying as you are."

I hitched up my robes and looked at him pointedly. "Go on then, Mr Genius, transfigure the brooms and amaze me."

He did and we all sat on one, with me clutching Draco round the waist.

"I wish I was dead," he declared in a loud and dramatic voice.

"Malfoy," I said, shocked "how can you say that? It's I wish I were dead. The subjunctive."

And with that we took off.


End file.
